Your board wants a growth story. Your pipeline says otherwise.
You've raised. You've hired. But the narrative isn't landing — with customers, investors, or the market. You need someone who's built this before, not an agency running a playbook or a junior CMO learning on your runway.
Fifteen minutes. No deck.
You're probably here because one of these is true
These are the moments that trigger the search for senior leadership — and the situations where fractional works best.
You're raising — and your story isn't sharp enough
Investors fund narratives, not features. If your positioning doesn't clearly articulate why you win, your deck won't close. The fundraising narrative behind £100M+ in raises — the story that gets you from Series B to C, or to exit.
Your pipeline has stalled — and marketing can't explain why
Activity is high but pipeline isn't converting. The problem is usually positioning, not tactics. Your sales team is having the wrong conversation because the message doesn't differentiate. The narrative gets fixed first, then the engine gets rebuilt around it. At IndiVillage, this took ARR from £3.5M to £35M.
You've outgrown your agency — but a full-time CMO is premature
Agencies run playbooks. You need someone who understands your board, your competitive landscape, and your sales cycle — someone who sits in your leadership meetings, not someone who sends a monthly report. But a £200K+ CMO hire is a bet you're not ready to make.
You're entering a new market — and nobody knows who you are
New geography, new vertical, new category. You need someone who's built market presence from zero before — media, partnerships, analyst relationships, the commercial narrative that opens doors. Machani did this in healthcare robotics. Truphone did it across 13 countries.
What changes with senior counsel in the room
Not advice from the outside. Embedded with your leadership team — typically 2-3 days a week, in your Slack, on your calls, accountable for outcomes.
Fix the positioning
Audit your market, pipeline, and competitive landscape. Rebuild the narrative your sales team and investors actually need. Quick wins within weeks, not months.
Build the engine
Campaigns that convert. The right people hired. Processes that scale. Deals closed alongside your team when needed — not from a strategy deck.
Build capability, not dependency
Your team gets coached. Frameworks get transferred. Involvement reduces as your function becomes self-sufficient. The goal: capability, not dependency.
Selected results
IndiVillage
IndiVillage repositioned from BPO to AI-as-a-Service under fractional CCO leadership. Sales and marketing function built from zero. Marquee enterprise accounts won while the team was hired and coached to sustain it.
Machani
Machani built its entire go-to-market from scratch under fractional communications leadership — media strategy, partnership development, investor narrative. CNN feature within months.
Truphone
Truphone built its marketing function from zero as the company scaled globally — demand generation engine, team, and brand. The result: £100M+ raised and 13-country expansion.
XTCC
XTCC launched at COP28 and Davos under senior communications counsel. Sovereign wealth fund relationships built. 'Best Innovation' won at the COP opening ceremony.
Common questions
How is this different from a consultant?
Consultants advise. This is execution. Attending standups, writing copy, briefing journalists, coaching hires, sitting in board meetings. Skin in the game, accountable for outcomes.
How many days per week?
Typically 2-3 days, though this flexes based on what's happening. Fundraising week might be five days. Quiet month might be one. The engagement is designed around your needs, not a fixed retainer.
Do you replace our agency?
Sometimes. Sometimes they get managed more effectively. Often the answer is figuring out whether an agency is needed at all, or whether a junior hire with strategic direction is the better investment.
What's the minimum commitment?
One quarter to start — that's enough time to audit, build a strategy, and start seeing results. After that, month-to-month. If it's working, you'll want to continue. If it's not, we'll both know.
Can you work with our existing team?
That's the point. Your existing team gets more effective. Strategic gaps get filled. Missing capabilities get hired. Coaching, not competing.
Not sure if fractional is right for you?
Let's have a fifteen-minute conversation. I'll give you an honest assessment of what you need — even if it's not me.
A note from Mark
I've been the fractional CCO, the fractional CMO, and the fractional "person who makes sure communications and commercial strategy actually connect." The title matters less than the outcome.
At IndiVillage, I joined when the company was doing £3.5M ARR with no marketing function. Eighteen months later, we were at £35M. I built the team, the positioning, and closed the first enterprise deals personally. That's what fractional leadership looks like when it works.
If you're at the stage where you need senior strategic direction but aren't ready for a full-time C-suite hire, let's talk. I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right fit.
— Mark Pinnes, Founder